Tales from Tataroo Valley
by theforgetfulalchemist
Summary: A hero returns and a family is returned to normal. Luke's life after the game in drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone stared at the young redheaded man embracing Tear in the warm moonlight of Tataroo valley.

Anise was the first to shake out of the stunned silence.

"You jerk!"

She muscled past Tear and punched Luke squarely on the chest.

"Ow! Anise, what the...?"

"Anise! Come on, cut it out." Guy said "You were just saying the other day how much you missed him."

"Yeah, and now I'm going to kill him! Where were you? You were gone for two years! _Two years_!" her voice broke "You made Tear cry!"

"I did not!" Tear protested, blushing.

"She's crying now!" Anise continued.

"I am not!"

"You did! And you are to!" Anise cried in frustration.

She shoved Luke halfheartedly and dissolved into a sob, burring her face in his shirt.

"Now, now. Come on, Anise." Guy said gently, pulling her away.

"I missed you too, Anise." Luke laughed. "I'm sorry it took so long."

He looked at Guy and they both grinned. Guy grabbed him and pulled him into a fierce bear hug.

They laughed delightedly.

"You stupid bastard! Welcome home."

"Thanks, guy."

Natalia walked up to him in a daze. She put a hand on his face tenderly.

"It _is_ you..." she mumbled.

"I'm sorry...Asch didn't...I mean, he's..."

Natalia cut him off with a hug.

"I'm just glad you're alright."

He took her hand and started when he saw a delicate gold ring.

"Is that a...? Who...?"

Natalia blushed and Guy looked embarrassed, telling him everything.

"We haven't set a date yet" Natalia told him shyly. "But it would mean a lot to us both if you came to the wedding."

A smile spread across Luke's face. "That's awesome! Congratulations!"

Jade came up and offered his hand. "Well, well, looks like we aren't rid of your presence yet. What a shame. Welcome back, Luke."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, old man." Luke smiled, shaking his hand.

He looked around.

"Wait, there's something missing...oh"

Lying by a boulder was a worn leather bag with an unnatural bulge.

He nudged it gently with his foot.

"Hey, Thing! Your master's calling!"

Immediately a blue ball of fuzz leaped from the bag and attached itself to Luke's head, knocking him over.

"Master!" Meiu shouted happily. "You're back!"

Luke laughed, holding Meiu as he sat back up.

"Yep. It's sure good to be back."

Later that night, Luke and Tear sat huddled together around a campfire as everyone else slept around the dying embers.

"By the way" Luke whispered, leaning in closer. "I love you too."

Tear jumped. "You...you heard..."

Luke nodded seriously. "Yeah. I heard you. And leaving after that was the hardest thing I've ever done."

His bright green eyes shone with longing, but he faltered and looked away.

"But I mean...that was awhile ago..." he mumbled awkwardly "I understand if..."

"If I what?"

"You know..."

"No, I don't know." she said, mystified.

"If you have...you know...another..." he babbled "I mean, you're...very beautiful, and I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would feel lucky to have you so...I understand if you've moved on."

Tear laughed. "Is that what you were worried about?"

She turned to face him.

"Luke, if you look in my desk there's a draw with nothing but the letters I wrote to you every day. I have a reputation as an ice queen for not giving men the time of day because I can't forget you."

She took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"I love you."

Luke broke into his widest smile yet and on impulse kissed her.

They pulled away and stared at each other in disbelief, slowly devolving into giggling.

After they subsided, Luke looked happily up at the sky.

"Y'know" he sighed "For the first time in a long time...I feel like I have my whole life ahead of me."

A/N: TOA is one of my favorite games and yet I've never written for it before so here this is! I was thinking this will be a drabble series about Luke's life after the game. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"...so will you marry me?"

Luke waited in tense silence as the morning creeped into the castle windows.

"Great job!"

Luke relaxed at the verdict and grinned.

"Thanks, Guy."

"No problem." Guy nodded confidently. "Don't worry, Luke. You just ask her like we practiced and everything will be alright."

Luke smiled nervously "I sure hope so. Now we just have to make sure Natalia doesn't find out."

"I don't find out about what?"

They jumped as Natalia poked her head into the room. The door swung open and she came in, hands on her hips.

"Nothing!" they said, too quickly.

"Honestly, Luke." Natalia huffed, jabbing a finger at him. She gave Guy a quick kiss on the cheek before glaring at her cousin."You and Tear visit for the weekend and you spend all day holed up in this stuffy room with Guy."

"Yeah...well..." Luke said lamely.

"What are you two..." Natalia blinked and a smile spread across her face. "Oh. Oh ho...I see."

"You...do?" Guy asked.

"Yes! Guy, our two year anniversary is coming up! I suppose you're planning something. Well, I won't bother you two."

She practically skipped out the door and when it shut, they heaved a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was close." Luke wiped his brow.

"Tell me about it." Guy said. "You know she wouldn't have been able to keep a secret."

"Did you really do something for your anniversary?" Luke asked, mock accusingly.

"Of course I did" Guy said "I got her a new bow."

Luke smiled "She'll love that." he glanced forlornly at the small velvet box he had gotten at a Baticul jewelers earlier that day. "I just hope Tear likes this."

That evening, Luke and Tear arrived in Yulia City where they shared an apartment in the residential section.

As Tear turned the key in the lock, Luke took a deep breath.

Tear raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

He gulped and said "I'm fine. Y'know what, why don't you go on in, I'll catch up."

"Okay..." she said suspiciously but climbed up the stairs anyway.

Luke took another deep breath to steel his nerves, took out the box and marched purposefully into the apartment.

"Master! You're home!" a small voice chirped.

He looked down and saw Mieu jumping up and down in excitement.

"Master! What's that? Is that the-"

Luke clamped a hand down on Mieu's mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed. "Be quiet, Thing!"

"Mmm mmm mm..."

Luke put him down and opened the box.

"This is the ring. You absolutely have to stay quiet about it until I ask her after dinner. Got that?"

"Yay! Master And Tear are getting married!" Meiu shouted, continuing to bounce all over the place.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

"What are you two doing?" Tear demanded, storming down the stairs to find Luke practically strangling the Cheagle, the box open and exposing the ring.

Luke straightened stiffly as her eyes widened in shock and he lamely stuffed the box behind his back.

He coughed and flashed a sheepish grin.

"I promise I had a speech and everything and I was going to do this right" he coughed again with an embarrassed sideways glance "But...uh, will you uh...will you marry me?"

"Oh Luke, you idiot" Tear smiled weakly, obviously trying not to cry. "Of course."

Luke instantly brightened. Laughing he ran up and lifted her off the floor in an embrace and kissed her.

"But you know what this means" he said eventually pulling away.

"What?"

"We're going to have to tell Natalia. We're not going to get a moments peace."


	3. Chapter 3

"Natalia, please calm down." Tear begged for the millionth time.

"No!" Natalia said forcefully, pacing Tear's bedroom. She stopped in the middle of the carpet to face her, hands twitching toward her quiver. "The caterers are late-"

"Anise and I can make something."

"You haven't decided on a church-"

"Aren't they all the same? All that matters is that it's in Baticul, right?"

"There's not enough flowers for every table-"

"Because that's a priority, right?"

"And to top it all off, the ice sculpture I specifically ordered for the buffet table is all wrong!" Natalia finally fumed.

"Yes, why do we have that again?"

Natalia gave a long suffering sigh. "Tear, do you even care about your own wedding?"

"Of course I do." Tear said patiently as Natalia sat beside her on the bed. "I just don't think it's productive to worry about every little detail, that's all. Honestly, if no one sets anything on fire again, I'm happy."

"Ah, right. Archduke Williams' retirement party. We should avoid that."

"But with the colonel, you never know" Tear smiled "But that's not the point. The point is you should relax, Natalia."

"Out of the question!" Natalia huffed. "As your maid of honor, it is my sworn duty to work tirelessly to ensure every detail is in place."

"I'm pretty sure it's not."

"No arguments! Now, about this-" Natalia gestured to an elegant white dress hanging on the closet door.

Tear glared at it like it was something mildly annoying. "We've been over this.'

"It's traditional."

"It's _traditional_ for soldiers to wear their dress uniforms."

"As your maid of honor-"

Tear groaned.

"Y'know, Guy..." she said sourly but she was grinning. She couldn't stay mad at her friend. "...isn't giving Luke this hard of a time."

"Oh come one, Guy! Stop giving me such a hard time!" Luke laughed as Guy punched his arm.

"I can't help it!" Guy said, beaming. "I just can't believe how much you've grown. I'm really proud of you, Luke."

Luke straightened the sash on his formal suit and brushed a hand through his freshly cut hair. "Thanks. Man, I'm so nervous..."

The door to the cloister of the church, where they were getting ready. Anise poked her head in. She was wearing a bright pink dress uniform and she was holding a bouquet of bright yellow flowers.

"She's ready, guys!" she hissed urgently.

Guy pushed Luke toward the door and Anise pulled him away, slightly panicked.

But he completely forgot his nerves when he saw Tear. At the end of the isle, she stood in a beatutiful white dress uniform, her hair pinned up elegantly.

She smiled at him warmly. It took his breath away and straightened his spine.

He took a deep breath, grinned, and marched, thankfully without tripping, to his bride.

He took her hand tenderly and almost missed his cues, he was looking so intently at her eyes.

It turned out later that Anise had indeed set a small fire under the priest's robes but they were both too wrapped up in the moment to notice as they walked out of the chapel. Amid well wishing and cheers, they looked each other in the eye and smiled in the knowledge that for the rest of their lives they would have each other.

A/N: Chapter 3! Hope you liked and thanks for reading!


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